Despite a significant drop in gas prices, public transit riders in The Woodlands continue to climb.

The number of commuters at The Woodlands three Park & Ride lots has increased 3.5 to 5 percent a month, with an estimated 3,000 riders a day to Houston. John McBeth, general manager of The District, believes the faltering economy is driving the growth of service.

“People are discovering it’s a pretty good deal,” said McBeth. “They are saving significant money by taking the bus.”

The District, formerly known as the Brazos Transit District, is the public transportation agency for a 16 county region in central and southeast Texas. In the Houston area on Thursday, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $1.59, according to AAA with data provided by the Oil Price Information Service.

With the expansion of the Sterling Ridge Park & Ride expected to begin in March, McBeth believes commuter numbers in The Woodlands are about to soar. That Park & Ride lot will go from 200 to 1,200 spaces. At present, the lot is filled to capacity.

“We’re going to see it skyrocket out there,” McBeth said.

But while The Woodlands continues to grow, bus services in other parts of the county are struggling. A revived bus service in Conroe only attracts about 100 cars a day, while only about 100 riders daily hop a new shuttle between The Woodlands and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.

“It’s not doing as well as we expected,” said Lyle Nelson, deputy general manager of the District. “It needs time to mature. It still has great promise.”

Montgomery County introduced two new public transit options in 2008 after Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a transit plan recommended by a county transportation task force. The Sam Shuttle operates weekdays, with stops in The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Lone Star College-Montgomery, Conroe and Sam Houston State University. It is mostly serving students, faculty and staff from Sam Houston State University, but it was envisioned to also help bring a potential workforce from Huntsville to the Conroe and Woodlands areas, Nelson said.

Because of the low ridership, The District cut service from two to one bus for the shuttle, Nelson said. The schedule was adjusted to cover the key times of the day.

Among programs implemented in 2008, the demand-response system has been the biggest success and is running at capacity, Nelson said. Under that service, residents can request a ride to any location within the county. The program, which is open to any resident, costs $6 for a round trip.

“The demand response services is at capacity and could use more service,” said Nelson, who hopes to get additional funds for the service in 2009 appropriations to the Texas Department of Transportation.